CHAP. I.

THAT which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; ²(for the life was manifested, and we have beheld it, and bear testimony, and declare unto you that life eternal, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;) ³that which we have seen and heard, declare we to you, that ye also may have communion with us: and indeed our communion is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be complete.

⁵And this is the promise which we have heard from him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and that darkness in him there is none. ⁶If we say that we have communion with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and practise not the truth: ⁷but if we walk in the light, as he is himself in the light, we have communion with each other, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, faithful is he and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

[CHAP. II.]

MY dear children, these things I write to you, that ye should not sin. And if any of us sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ²and he himself is the propitiatory victim for our sins: and indeed not for ours only, but for the whole world. ³And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and in him the truth is not. ⁵But whosoever keepeth his word, verily in him is the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in him. ⁶He who saith that he abideth in him, ought as he walked, even so himself to walk.

⁷Brethren, I write not a new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

⁸Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which is a true thing in him, and in you, because the darkness is past, and the true light is now shining. ⁹He who saith, that he is in the light, yet hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. ¹⁰He that loveth his brother is in the light, and occasion of stumbling in him there is none. ¹¹But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he is departing, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.

¹²I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. ¹³I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. ¹⁴I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For every thing which is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pomp of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away, and the lust thereof, but he who doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

¹⁸My dear children, it is the last hour; and as ye have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there are many antichrists: by which we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they departed, that they might be made manifest that they are not all of us: ²⁰though ye have an unction from the Holy One, and know all things. ²¹I have not written to you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. ²²Who is the liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Messiah? This man is the antichrist, who denieth the Father and the Son. ²³Every one that denieth the Son, neither doth he hold the Father; but he that acknowledgeth the Son, holdeth the Father also. ²⁴Let that abide in you therefore which ye have heard from the beginning. If that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning, ye also shall abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is the promise which he hath promised to us, even life eternal.

²⁶These things have I written unto you concerning those who are leading you astray. ²⁷But the unction which ye have received from him abideth in you; and ye need not that any person should instruct you. But as the same unction teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie; and as it hath taught you, abide in him. ²⁸And now, my dear children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be put to shame by him at his coming. ²⁹If ye know that he is righteous, know that every one who practises righteousness is born of him.

[CHAP. III.]

BEHOLD, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God! therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ²Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it is not yet evident what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; because we shall see him as he is. ³And every one who hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

⁴Every one who committeth sin, committeth also a transgression of the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. ⁵And ye know that he was manifested, that he might take away our sins; and in him there is no sin. ⁶Every one who abideth in him, doth not sin; every one who sinneth hath not seen him, nor known him. ⁷My dear children, let no man deceive you: he who doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: ⁸he that practises sin is of the devil; for from the beginning the devil sinneth. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹Every one who is born of God, doth not practise sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. ¹⁰By this the children of God are manifestly seen, and the children of the devil. Every one that doth not practise righteousness, is not of God, and he that loveth not his brother.

¹¹For this is the commandment which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. ¹²Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother: and wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were wicked, and those of his brother righteous.

¹³Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. ¹⁴We know that we are passed out of a state of death into life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother abideth in death. ¹⁵Every one who hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath life eternal abiding in him.

¹⁶By this we have known the love of Christ, because for us he laid down his own life: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷But whosoever hath worldly abundance, and seeth his brother under necessity, and shutteth his bowels of compassion against him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? ¹⁸My dear children, let us not love in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth; ¹⁹and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and in his presence have this persuasion in our hearts. ²⁰For should our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. ²¹Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have confidence towards God. ²²And whatsoever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things which are pleasing in his sight. ²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. ²⁴And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him; and by this we know that he abideth in us, from the Spirit which he hath given us.

[CHAP. IV.]

BELOVED, believe not every pretender to inspiration, but bring these spirits to the trial whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone forth into the world. ²By this ye know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesseth that Jesus the Messiah is come in the flesh, is from God. ³And every spirit who confesseth not that Jesus the Messiah is come into the world, is not from God: and this is that spirit of antichrist which ye have heard that it is coming, and now is already in the world. ⁴Ye are of God, my dear children, and have overcome them; because he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world, therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.

⁷Beloved, let us love one another; because love is from God, and every one who loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ⁸He that loveth not, never knew God; for God is love. ⁹By this was the love of God manifested to us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might have life by him. ¹⁰Herein is love, not that we have loved God, but that he hath loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

¹²No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his own Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and bear testimony, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. ¹⁶And we have known and believed the love which God hath towards us. God is love; and he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him. ¹⁷By this is his love towards us perfected, that we might have confidence at the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸Fear is not in this love; but the perfect love casteth out fear: for fear hath anguish. He that is afraid is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us. ²⁰If any person say, I love God, yet hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he who loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love the God whom he hath not seen? ²¹So this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love also his brother.

[CHAP. V.]

EVERY one who believeth that Jesus is the Messiah, is born of God; and every one who loveth him that begat, loveth him also who is begotten by him. ²Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. ³For this is the love of God, that we should keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴Because every one that is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith. ⁵Who is he that overcometh the world, except he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus the Messiah; not by the water only, but by the water and the blood: and the Spirit is the witnessing person, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For they are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these, even the three, are one. ⁸And there are three which bear witness upon earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are for the same one object.

⁹If we receive the testimony of man, the testimony of God is stronger: for this is the testimony of God which he testified concerning his Son. ¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself; he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he hath not believed on the testimony which God testified of his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony, that God hath given life eternal to us; and this life is in his Son. ¹²He that hath the Son, hath this life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not this life. ¹³These things have I written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have life eternal, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have towards him, that whatsoever we ask according to his will, he heareth us. ¹⁵And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we receive the petitions, which we have requested, from him.

¹⁶If any person see his brother committing a sin not unto death, he shall request, and God will grant him life for those that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I say not that he should request for that. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin; and there is sin not unto death.

¹⁸We know that every one who is born of God sinneth not; but he that is born of God preserveth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not. ¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the power of that wicked one. ²⁰But we know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given to us understanding, that we might know the true God; and we are in him that is true, in his Son Jesus the Messiah. HE is the true God, and the life eternal.

²¹My dear children, guard yourselves against idols. Amen.

[THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL]

THE APOSTLE JOHN.

THE presbyter to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all who have known the truth: ²because of the truth which abideth in us, and shall be with us for ever: ³grace, mercy, peace be with you from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴I rejoiced greatly that I found thy children walking in truth, as we have received commandment from the Father. ⁵And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing to thee a new commandment, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we should love one another. ⁶And this is love, that we should walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, as ye have heard from the beginning, That ye should walk in it. ⁷For many deceivers are gone out into the world, who do not confess Jesus the Messiah as come in the flesh. Such a one is a deceiver and an antichrist.

⁸Take heed to yourselves that we lose not the things which we have wrought, but receive a full reward. ⁹Every one that transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, this man holdeth both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If any person come unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house, nor say to him, Welcome. ¹¹He that biddeth him welcome, takes part in his wicked works.

¹²Having many things to write unto you, I would not do it with paper and ink; but I hope to come unto you, and speak mouth to mouth, that our joy may be complete.

¹³The children of thy elect sister salute thee. Amen.

[THE THIRD GENERAL EPISTLE]

THE APOSTLE JOHN.

THE presbyter to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. ²Beloved, above all things I pray that thou mayest prosper, and be in sound health of body, even as thy soul prospereth.

³I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came, and bore witness to thy truth, even as thou walkest in the truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than these tidings, that I hear my own children are walking in the truth.

⁵Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever services thou performest for the brethren, and for strangers; ⁶who have borne testimony to thy love before the church; to whom thou wilt perform a good act of service in forwarding them on their journey, in a manner worthy of God. ⁷For on account of his name they went forth, receiving nothing from the heathen. ⁸We therefore ought to assist such men, that we may become fellow-labourers in the truth.

⁹I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who affects pre-eminence over them, receiveth us not. ¹⁰Therefore if I come I will remember his works which he doth, with wicked words prating against us; and not content with these things, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and those who are willing he hindereth, and casteth them out of the church. ¹¹Beloved, be not an imitator of what is evil, but of that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

¹²Demetrius hath a good testimony from all men, and from the truth itself: and we also bear our testimony, and ye know that our testimony is true.

¹³I had many things to write; but I would not write to thee with ink and pen: ¹⁴but I hope shortly to see thee, and we shall speak mouth to mouth.

Peace be to thee. The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.

[THE EPISTLE GENERAL]

THE APOSTLE JUDE.

JUDE a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are sanctified in God the Father, and preserved by Jesus Christ, the called: ²mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied.

³Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you concerning the common salvation, I held it necessary to write unto you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints. ⁴For certain men have craftily introduced themselves, who were from of old proscribed for this condemnation, ungodly men, changing the grace of God into impurity, and denying our only sovereign God and Lord, Jesus Christ. ⁵But I would remind you, though ye once knew this, that the Lord, though he delivered the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who believed not. ⁶And the angels who preserved not their own primitive state, but deserted their proper abode, hath he reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. ⁷As Sodom and Gomorrha and the surrounding cities, in like manner with them abandoned to whoredom, and going after other flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the judicial punishment of eternal fire.

⁸In like manner also do these men, even when they dream, defile indeed the flesh, despise sovereignty, and revile dignities. ⁹Though Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not to produce a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. ¹⁰But these men speak evil even of the things of which they have no knowledge: but such things as they know naturally, as the brute beasts, in these they corrupt themselves.

¹¹Wo unto them! for they have walked in the way of Cain, and have eagerly run in Balaam’s erroneous path of hire, and have perished in opposition, like Corah. ¹²These are in your feasts of love, as sunken rocks; though joining in your banquet, they feed themselves fearlessly; clouds without water carried about by the winds; trees untimely withering, fruitless, twice dead, rooted up; ¹³raging billows of the sea foaming out their own infamies; stars wandering from their courses, for whom the blackness of darkness for ever is reserved.

¹⁴Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied also of these men, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with myriads of his saints, ¹⁵to execute judgment against all men, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have impiously committed, and of all the bitter words which impious offenders have spoken against him. ¹⁶These men are murmurers, complainers at their lot in life, walking after their own corrupt passions; and their mouth utters hyperbolically pompous expressions, pretending high personal admiration, in order to make their advantage.

¹⁷But ye, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸how they told you that in the last time there will be scoffers, walking after their own ungodly passions. ¹⁹These are the men who separate themselves, sensual, destitute of the Spirit.

²⁰But ye, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying by the Holy Ghost, ²¹preserve yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²²And of some have compassion, distinguishing their case; ²³and others save with trembling, snatching them out of the fire; though hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

²⁴Now to him who is able to guard you from stumbling, and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with exultation, ²⁵to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, might and dominion, both now and unto all eternity. Amen.

[THE REVELATION]

JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN.